What Could Have Been
by MildlyInsane
Summary: This is my alternate ending to the film. Things could have been different if Robert had handled things differently when the "dark seeker" dogs attacked Sam. If you love Will Smith and Samantha, the dog, you might like my ending. Please review.


**_This is based on the events in the film... I didn't read the book, so I don't know if it was any different... I didn't even know it was a book until I read here that it was... I should read it... Anyway, I think this is how it should have happened. I loved the film of course, but I think my ending is a bit happier._**

**_xxxxxx_**

Perhaps Robert should have felt guilty for the decision he had made. But his decision was for the good of many, though it meant the death of the woman he had used as his last test subject. Could he have saved her, as well as everyone else? He didn't know, and he didn't like to think about it. He had been in the survivour camp for about a month now, with the others who had survived the massive outbreak of the disease. He thought back to his last few days in New York, when he lived with no other humans, only Samantha, his loyal German Shepherd.

* * *

He had captured an infected woman, by setting a trap, with his own blood as the bait. He had apparently taught the so called "dark seekers" how to make a trap of their own. And he fell for the trap. His mannequin who wore an orange sweatshirt, had been moved. Robert was very allarmed by this, and he shot the mannequin, and the walked over to it. His foot was caught in a trap, and his feet were pulled out from under him. He hit his head before being pulled up, and lost consciousness. Hours later, he awoke to the sound of Samantha barking up at him. It was getting dark. He needed to get home quickly. So he cut the cord that held him in the air by his ankle, and fell to the ground. In the process, he landed on his knife. It went deep into his leg. The pain was almost unimaginable, but he needed to get Samantha and himself home before it was too late.

He found that he could not stand, due to the knife which was deeply embedded in his leg, and the pain which it caused. Therefore, he slowly made it back to his vehicle, in a sort of crawling fashion. But then, a "dark seeker" with three infected dogs emerged. The dogs waited until there was no sunlight which would burn their skin, and they attacked. Robert and Sam eventually fought the dogs off, killing them, but Samantha was quite injured.

Robert got her into the car and drove her home. Once at home, Robert noticed that Samantha was showing signs of being infected with the horrible vampire-like disease. He closed his eyes, angry that such a horrible thing would happen to his loyal friend. He knew he would have to do something though. He locked her in the thick glass chamber, pulling his test subject out of the chamber, and closing the door. Sam was injured, and he hoped that she would survive her injuries, but he needed to lock her in the chamber, as she had become just like the "dark seekers."

He performed more tests, trying new vaccines on his "dark seeker" test subject, trying to find a vaccine which would work. The next day he left for the pier, to wait for anyone who had heard his radio broadcast. This day, unlike the many times in the past, someone had heard his announcement on the radio. A woman and her son arrived, to Robert's joy. He took them back to his house, and the woman informed him of a survivours colony.

Robert didn't want to leave ground zero, however, and he explained it this to the woman. She still, however, urged him to come with her and her son the next day, when they would be leaving at dawn in order to arrive there before nightfall. But Robert knew he couldn't leave ground zero, or leave Samantha there to die. He could find a cure. He knew he could.

When night fell, they heard horrible screeches outside. The "dark seekers" knew where he was. They had probably watched him come home as night fell the day before when they had been attacked by the "dark seeker" dogs. Robert looked out the window, and sure enough hundreds of the "dark seekers" ran toward his house. He knew what he must do. He urged the woman to take her son down to his lab, and told her that he would meet them down there in a few minutes.

Robert had been prepared for something like this. He had explosives rigged all over around the outside of his house. He triggered the explosives, killing many of the "dark seekers" but also blowing holes in his house. He promptly ran down to his lab where the woman and her son were waiting. The woman noticed his test subject who was outside of the glass chamber, where Robert had put her, since an infected Samantha now occupied the chamber. His test subject was cured!

He took a few vials of her blood. He could try to inject the blood into Samantha, to see if it would work on dogs as well. He put some of the blood into a syringe, and quickly opened the door to the glass chamber, immediately injecting Samantha with the blood. Sure enough, she immediately showed signs of slower breathing, and less aggression. Robert sighed a sigh of relief, but his troubles were not over yet. The "dark seekers were in his house. He could hear them upstairs.

He took the woman and her son, as well as his test subject into the glass chamber, where Samantha, who was no longer infected, laid in a corner. Just as he was closing the door of the chamber, the "dark seekers" broke into the basement lab. They were running into the glass, and it was beginning to crack. He yelled at them that he had the cure, and that he could save them, but they would not listen. He then knew that he would not be able to save them. They were too far gone to listen to his logic.

There was only one thing he could do. He opened a chamber in the back, and had the woman and her son, along with Samantha get inside. There was ample room left, so Robert got into the chamber as well. He closed the door, and they waited. In the darkness, he heard the "dark seekers" break into the glass chamber, and he heard them attack his test subject. It was a sickening sound, but he knew his plan had worked: the infected people had eaten the woman who was once infected, but was now cured. She was dead, but now all of the "dark seekers" in his lab were cured.

When morning came, the woman and her son, as well as Robert and Sam emerged from the small chamber within the larger glass chamber. There were about 10 of the formerly infected "dark seekers" laying about in the room. These 10 included those who were still living. Several more lay dead, as un-cured "dark seekers" had killed them.

Robert, Samantha, the woman, and her son, along with the cured former "dark seekers" made their way to the survivours camp, with the few vials of blood which held the cure. Robert wished that there had been another option, but giving up the life of his test subject saved 10 of the "dark seekers" as well as Samantha, the woman and her child, and himself.

**_xxxxxx_**

**_I was bothered in the film that he blew himself up... I thought that it might work to let them eat the woman who he had cured, and by eating her blood, they would have been cured... Hopefully I have written it in a way that my thoughts can be easily understood. Also, I was very sad when Samantha died... In the theater pretty much every female present was crying... So I let her live in my alternate ending. :)_**

**_Please feel free to review. :) _**

**_xxxxxx_**


End file.
